This week has been the closest to approaching feeling normal in a long time, and yet… it’s also been so far off from what I would have considered “normal” a year ago or even six months ago. I’m forever stuck between “what even is ‘normal’?” and “normal be damned.” It’s not that I want to choose, it’s that I simply miss the routine of a stable life. And by this time next week I’ll be in Vegas absolutely ravaging my sleep schedule, so what’s the point of trying to normalize anything now? Let’s just see this through. We can be normal in June… July.

I did manage to get in to see my doctor last week… I was fully prepared to schedule something for June but they had a same-day appointment open so I went for it. I thought we’d mostly be having a conversation about next steps like when I fainted two years ago, but then they stole four vials of blood and did some preliminary testing, so I was pretty much done with the day after that. 😵‍💫 The doctor mentioned also doing an EKG soon, and maybe wearing a heart monitor for a few weeks to track symptoms, but I don’t know when that’ll be. What I do know is that I am forever exhausted, it seems, and while I’m _{just a little bit} anemic, I’m not anemic enough for that to explain everything else…

I’m never gonna beat the vampire allegations, am I? Hmm.

On the plus side of the week, I had the opportunity to turn Internet moots into IRL friends, and that is always a treat! I met up with some mutuals from Bluesky for a concert one night and lunch the next day. Hanging out with folks for the first time can be a little awkward when you’re mostly used to quipping under each other’s shitposts, but having an Activity really offsets that and gives you an easy, neutral environment. But also, when you’re mutuals with cool people, it’s pretty easy to hit a flow in conversation.

And while yes I know I differentiated between “Internet friends” and “IRL friends”… is there a difference? Being chronically online for the past 25+ years, some of my best friendships have existed in purely (or mostly) digital formats. There are people I’ve known in an online-only context for decades, folks I wouldn’t hesitate to go out of my way to grab a pint with if it weren’t for them being, you know, thousands of miles away. There are a few folks I have had the good fortune to meet in person once or twice and it’s always a treat. It’s like, look!, you are flesh and I am also flesh! We are not merely pixels! Let us embrace! Okay cool see you online. 🫡 Friends are friends, location be damned, no quantifier needed. But it can be really rewarding to have opportunities to level up your friendships throughout your life, regardless of how long you’ve known someone.

So, yay Internet, yay friends, yay new stuff… less yay blood theft but yay for progress on health stuff I guess!

Since I’ll be OOO next weekend, I’m either going to prep an alt-format newsletter to queue for while I’m gone, or I’ll do no such thing and you’ll receive no email from me. Just a head’s up! I wouldn’t want you to worry 😘

☑️ Done and Done - Rest rest and more rest, with a couple of naps in between. One doctor’s appointment. Bought a dress for Vegas (just in case), and some other travel supplies. A little dabbling with a craft project. Working out at home instead of the gym. Had a movie night in, and a night out at a show. Lunch at a new spot with new friends. And another nap just to round things out.

📋 Coming up - Lunch with a friend in birthday observance. Packing and travel to Las Vegas to celebrate another friend’s birthday. Many, many naps in an attempt to save up on sleep before travel. Maybe a chat with my doctor re: bloodwork results. Keeping my calendar otherwise clear until I don’t lowkey panic about it.

🎬 Watching - Daybreakers (2009) is not a good movie. But it’s a reasonably fun movie, with some interesting deviations from your standard vampire action. And some pretty respectable prosthetics/CGI that hold up surprisingly well!

🎬 Watching - I also watched Send Help (2026), which I didn’t realize was a Sam Raimi movie going into it. But once you know, all the hallmarks are there, just in a slightly more demure package that’s more approachable for the general populace. And it was fun to watch as someone who grew up through multiple seasons of Survivor (Richard Hatch spoke at my high school once, but I can’t recall why…). I think “WWLLD?” is a great motto.

🎵 Listening - The concert I went to last week was superband The Black Queen. The concept of a “superband” is funny to me, as if the music industry isn’t already full of dudes having little pet music projects with their peers/friends; no, these are special* music guys (*in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) and they need a special name for their pet project! Though Danny Lohner was the touring keyboardist/bassist so that was cool; I’d love to see him get more active with new stuff again.

👾 Gaming - I haven’t Diablo’d as much this week as I’d like, mostly due to The Tired. I managed to hit level 60 but I haven’t managed much beyond that in terms of achievements. Which is frustrating cuz I’m enjoying this season overall! Maybe more gaming will be my downtime activity this next week.

👾 Gaming - I started reading Crescent City book 1: House of Earth and Blood (aff link) by Sarah J. Maas, hoping it’d be a good follow-up to her ACOTAR books. But I’m simply not falling into it quite as easily as the other series. It all feels so very… forced. It just feels like it’s trying a little too hard to be different; different beasties, different main character energy, different world. I’m going to stick with it, but idk…

☕ Drinking - Normally if I go to a Thai restaurant I’m going to order a Thai iced tea, but I didn’t feel like having caffeine at that point so I opted for “lychee drink”. I enjoy a good lychee cocktail but this was literally just a can of juice, and it did a perfectly serviceable job of offsetting the heat of the food. 5/5, would drink again.

👕 Wearing - Watch out! I’m in my palazzo pants era! Screw a wide leg denim jean. It’s going to be a hot summer so crop tops and palazzo pants are going to be the vibe, I think.

A bit short again this week but as I think I mentioned, I remain exhausted. 😴 I’m strongly considering running up to a nearby medspa for a B12 shot before next weekend’s travel, though at the same time I’d like to wait and see if I’ll be prescribed vitamin injections, which would be covered by insurance? But would that happen in time for the vitamins to be absorbed and effective before the trip is the real question.

You all behave while I’m out of town next weekend. Or don’t; just make sure you remove any incriminating evidence. We’ll talk again… soon.

xox,